ALGIERS, December 03, 2015 (SPS) - Representative of the UN Funds for Child (UNICEF) Thomas Dava said that the UNICEF "has difficulties" to meeting the needs of the Sahrawi refugees hit by the floods last October
Their needs are notably made of medicines and education.
Speaking during a news conference he held with two Good Will ambassadors football star Madjid Bouguerra and former world judo champion Salima Souakri, Dava evoked the sufferings of the Sahrawi refugees, notably in the Dakhla camps, the most affected by the floods.
He has also mentioned a "big deficit" in the supply, describing the situation as the "most neglected crisis" in the world.
The two sportsperson have outlined the outcomes of their last visit to the refugee camps, organized under the slogan of "Return of children to school" to assess the damages causes by the heavy rains, last October and which destroyed several schools and day nurseries.
$20 million for Sahrawi refugees
Following the natural disaster, several UN organizations have launched international appeals in coordination with the Unicef, including the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Commission for Refugees, the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide urgent aid to the stricken people during the three months, estimated at $ 20 million.
UNICEF assessed the amount needed to meet the education needs at 1,700,000 dollars, while the health care needs are worth one million dollars for the rehabilitation of the health centres, said Dava.
UNICEF identified in the refugee camps, nearly 32,000 children needing care to return to school, following the total or partial destruction of 40% of schools due to floods.
The floods have also left nearly 12,000 families without home.
The UN organization which did not managed to collect more than the quarter of the necessary sum for the care of stricken, notably the schooled children, is "unable" to move to the second stage which is of the reconstruction and the rehabilitation of the houses and schools and healthcare centres, by using solid and flood-resistant materials, regretted Dava. (SPS)
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